Door handle



pt. 16, 1924. 1,508,784 L. W. GATES DOOR HANDLE Filed Sept. 1, 1923 hwg-nro@ @M M WQM Patent Sept. 16, 1924.

'LOUIS W. GA., 0F NEW HVEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOB T0 C. COWLES & COM- PANY, OF NEW HA, CONNECTICUT, A CORJPGBATION F C0 "f i Application led September 1, 1923. Serial No. 880,519.

To' all wlw/ml t may cmwem.'

Be it known that l, Louis 17V.l GATES, a citizen of the United States, residing at New Haven, county of New Haven, State of Connecticut, have invented a new ,and useful Door Handle, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to latch operating handles, particularly of the type which are used on vehicles doors, and has for an object to provide a handle of this type which will be simple in construction, requiring but a few parts, which may be manufactured at low cost,which will not be easily gotten out l5 of order and so will be reliable and etlicient in operation, which may be applied to the door without fitting or re uire recessing the surface of the door, in winch the escutcheon will lie flush with the surface of the door,

and which will be neat and attractive in appearance.

' With the foregoing and other objects in view, I have devised the construction illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in

which Fig. 1 is a vertical section through a portion offa door and the escutcheon in position thereon, the handle being shown in elevation.

Fig. 2 is a frontl elevation of the escutcheon and a crossl section through the stem of the handle Substantially on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Figs. 3 and 4 are detailed cross sectional `views substantially on line 4-4 of, Fig. 1 showin the means for securing the elements to the itch spindle, Fig. 3 showing the securing element applied to the spindle but not secured thereon and Fig. 4 showing how it is secured to the spindle.

At 10 l have shown a section of a portion of a vehicle or other door having an opening 11 throu h which the square latch operating spindle 12 extends to any suitable type oi3 latch, not shown, as it forms no part of my present invention. 'liecured to the outer end ot the s indie 12 is any suitable type of operating nandle 13.

For securing the handle to the door and giving a neat and attractive appearance, an escutcheon plate le is provided which is adapted to be fastened to the surface of the door by any suitable means such as screws 15. This escutcheon plate is preferably pressed from sheet metal and is provided with an outwardly extending substantially latch operatin outer surface of the ange 16, and 1n order to give a neat and attractive appearance and provide a better bearing upon this surface, the face of this collar or member is provided with an annular groove 2O having its inner wall substantially spherical or concaved to tit the outer convex surface of the Harige, and the portion 21 of the member 19 at the inner side of this concave surface is ofa smaller diameter than the opening 17 to allow lateral or rocking movement of the stem with respect to the escutcheon for a purpose which is presently to be described. On the other side of thefiange 17 and located in the recess formed thereby is a coil spring 22 which engages the concave wall of the flange atene end and a collar orwasher 23 at the other end. This collar or washer is also preferably provided with an annular flange 24 extendlng into the spring to give a better bearing on the spindle and also a better support for the outer end of the spring. The collar 23 and the spring 22 may vbe secured in position by various means but l prefer that substantially as shown. Tn this vsecuring means the spindle 12 is provided on opposite sides thereof in properw sition, a pair of transverse grooves 25, an f a split securing washer 26 is used as a securing element. This washer is formed, as shown in Fig. 3, with the ends 27 on opposite sides of the split se arated a suiiicient distance so that it may e slid transversal onto the spindle from one side thereof. I ends are then pressed together ressing the sides y 28 into the grooves 25, and) the shoulders 29 will then engage 'on one side of the spindle, it@ as shown in Fig. 4, and securely hold the element in positionl on the spindle. The eleB ment will then-be securely fastened to the spindle and will be held against longitudinal movement thereon by the grooves 25. The grooves 25 and the concave surface of the groove 20 are so located with respect to each other that when the elements are in position, as shown in Fig. 1, the spring 22 1s under compression and its reaction against the con- M@- titi will tei'id to hold the concave surface'of groove 20against the outer or convex sur.-

ce of the flange 16. If when applying" the handle to a door the surface of t edoor should not be normal or at right angles to the axis of the spindle, the escutcheon ma rockt-with res t to the s indie and Heliush with the sur ace of the oor, thus giving a good tit and appearance. The action of the spring 22 also gives a gQod bearing between the escutcheon and the collar 19 and will always maintainl it tight .and automatically take u any wear which will occur between these e ements incident to the operation` ofV the handle. Thus the bearing escutcheon and the handle will always' be snugand there will be no liability of its becoming loose and rattling'. It will also be apparent from an inspection of Fig. 1 that all of the securing elements are mounted within the confines of the escutcheon plate. In other words when the. plate is fastened to the surface of the door they are all outside of this surface so that it is not necessary to cut a recess in the door to receive these securing elements. The only cutting necessary on the door being that required to bore the opening 1l for the passage of the spindle.

Having thus set forth the nature of my invention, what I claim is:

vl. In a device of the character described,

an escutcheon plate adapted to be secured to a door and provided with a laterally extending concavo-convex flange having an opening therethrough, a latch operating yspindle extending through said opening,-

saids indle carrying a shoulder engaging one si e of said flange, a sprin engaging the other side ofthe dange, 'an means secured to the'spindle forming an abutment for the other end of the spring.

2."In Aa device of the character described, an. eseutcheon adapted to be secured to a door and providedwith a laterally extending concave-convex Harige having an opening therethrough, a late operating spindle extending therethrough, spaced elements carried by mid spindle on opposite sides of the escutcheon, one of said elements engaging the convex wall of said flan and a spring between the flange and the ot er element and reacting against them to hold the first element in engagement with said flange.

3. In a device of the character described, an escutcheonadapted to be secured to a door and provided with a laterally extending substantially spherical flange convex on its outer surface and concave on its inner surface, said flange being provided with an opening therethrough, a latch operating spindle extending through said ope gan carrying a concave shoulder engagin the outer wall of said flange, an element, oingan abutment secured to the spindle inbetween the 4. In a device of the character .an escutcheon adapted to be securedftota" door, said escutcheon being provided with.

anoutwardly extending flange substantially-- spherical oii its outer surface and provided Awith' an opening therethrough, a latchoperv ating s iiidle extending through opening an carrying a concave shoulder adapted. if f to engage. the outer wall of said flange, an

abutment carried by the s indle on the other side of the es cutcheon, an a spring'ireacting at its opposite ends between the abutment andthe escutcheon.

5. In a device ofthe character described,-

an escutcheon adapted to be secured to a door, said escutcheon being provided with an outwardly extending flange substantially spherical on its outer surface andr provided' with \an opening therethrough, a latch operating spindle extending through said opening and carrying a concave shoulder adapted to engage the outer wall of said flange, an abutment carried by said spindle on the other side of the escutcheon, and .a coil sprin embracing the spindle and bearing at its opposite ends against the escutcheon andthe abutment. l

6. In a device of the character described, an escutcheon adapted to be secured to a door, said escutcheon being provided with an outwardly projecting concave-convex dangehaving a substantial spherical outer surface and providing -a pocket on the inner side, said iian e being provided with anopeiiing, a late operating spindle extending through said opening, spaced abutments carried 'by the spindle on opposite sides of the escutcheon, the. outer abutment being provided with a concave spherical surface engaging the outer surface of the flange and a coiled spring embracing thespindle in said pocket and reactin at its opposite ends against the concave. sur 'aceof the escutcheon and. the other abutment.

substantially 7. In a device of the character described i an escutcheon adapted to be vsecured to 'a door and provided with anopening, a'latch operating'spindle extending through said opening, spaced elements embracing said spindle 'and engagingl the opposite sides of said escutcheon, said spindle being pro- .vided with a transverse cove on one side thereof, and a securing e ement com risin a split washer embracing the spin e an seated in said groove.

8. In a. device of the character described an escutcheon adapted to be secured to e. door and provided "with an outwardly extending concavo-convex flange having an opening therethrough, a latch operating spindle extending through said opening, a handle secured to said spindle and provided izo with a concave shoulder en aging the outer surface of said flange, a coi spring embracing the spindle and engaging the other surface of the flange, said spindle being provided with transverse grooves on opposite' sides thereof, and 'a securing element at the other end of the'spring comprising a split washer embracing the` spindle and seated in said grooves.

9. In a device of the character described, an escutcheon adapted -to be secured to a door and rovided with an outwardly extending su stantially spherical-flange convex on its outer surface and concave on its inner surface, said ange being provided with an opening therethrough, a latch operating spindle extending through said opening and carrying a shoulder engagin the outer wall of said flange, an element orming an abutment secured to the spindle inwardly of the flange, and a spring between said abutment and the concave side o the ange, said spring and abutment bein located outside the door' engaging face o the escutcheon.

10. In a device of the character described, an escutcheon adapted to be secured to a door, said ecutcheon beingprovided with a laterally extending concavo-convex flange having an opening therethrough, a latch operating spmdle extending throu h said opening, spaced elements carried y said spindle on op osite sides of the escutcheon, one of said e ements engaging one side of `said ange, and a springbetween the ange door with its inner face engaging the surface .of the door, said escutcheon being provided with a lateral substantially spherical eX- tension having an opening therethrough, a

latch operating. spindle extending through said opening and carrying a shoulder engaging the outer surface of said extension, a stop means carried bythe spindle on the other side of said extension, and a resilient 'element' between the escutcheon and said latter stop means, said resilient element and the stop' means being located outside the door engaging face of the escutcheon.

12. In a device of the character described, an rescutcheon having its inner lface constructed for'contact with the surface of a door or the.' like, means for securing the escutcheon to a door, a latch spindle extending throughfsaid escutcheon, and means carried by the escutcheon and spindle for securing the spindle to the escutcheon arranged to allow relative rotary and Aangular movements between'the escutcheon and the spindle, the whole of said latter securin means being located entirely outside the oor engaging face of the escutcheon.

In testimony whereof I atlix my signature.

LOUISJW. GATES. 

